"That would be good." He brushed another kiss across her lips, released her and stepped away. "I'll be there as soon as I can."
"Make sure that you are. I want to find out what is going on every bit as badly as you."
"Stop nagging the man," Jake said, as he slipped his hand under her elbow. "You're not even married yet."
"I'll start nagging you if you're not careful," she said, then glanced back and met Michael's gaze. "Be careful. I've a feeling Lenny is just the beginning of the problem." So did he. He watched them leave before walking around the boxes to where Lenny lay. Camille was kneeling next to the young vampire, placing the last of five colored stones around his body. She made a sweeping motion with her hand, the vibrant pink of her sweater sleeve contrasting sharply against Lenny's blackened body. Energy stung the air, crawling across his skin like fireflies.
"I thought magic couldn't be performed in this room," he said.
"Can't, unless you turn the spells off, which is what I've done." He knelt down beside her. Lenny still writhed and moaned, and his agony saturated the air. Michael felt no sympathy for him. Lenny had chosen the wrong side to play with, and he had gotten exactly what he deserved.
"There was a spell on him," she continued, sitting back on her heels. "Buried deep, so that we didn't sense it."
"It's deactivated?"
Camille nodded. "For the moment. I've got a feeling that if I try and kill it completely, I'll kill Lenny." Michael frowned at her. "Meaning the magic is entwined in his life force?"
"It's the only way he could have gotten past all the spells." She raised the crossbow and ran her finger along the barrel. Symbols had been burned deep into the metal. "Weapons are spelled, too, which is why we didn't sense them."
"Someone has gone to a lot of trouble."
Camille's bright gaze met his. "Someone who wants you and Seline very dead."
"You've no doubt Lenny and Nadia are connected?"
"None at all. The magic that binds them has the same feel."
"Is it safe to search his mind?"